EE recall Power Bars after portable charger explodes

EE, the mobile network behind Orange and T-Mobile, is telling customers to return a batch of Power Bar chargers following a number of incidents where they have overheated and in one one case exploded.

A medical student in Aberdeen sustained burns on her hand after her bedroom caught fire when one of the chargers exploded in her bag.

The incidents all relate to batch E1-06 (written as Model:E1-06 on the side of the device), and could pose a fire safety risk. Power Bars from any other batch aren’t affected by this recall.

EE are advising customers to stop using them and return their device to a local EE store at their earliest convenience.

The Power Bar contains a USB port to which one can affix a charging cable when users are out and about and low on battery.

It claims to have enough capacity to fully charge a smartphone once.

EE added via their website: “It’s our intention to replace these chargers once we’ve completed our investigations; we’ll be in touch once these have been concluded. We’re really sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

“Customers returning batch E1-06 will be issued with a replacement once our investigations are concluded.

“The swap programme has been temporarily suspended while we complete this recall process and restock.”